From the editor
And for my next act…
After wringing myself dry migrating to an all-new site (friends, I’m a middle-aged Piscean writer, not a techie), I’m going to get back in the game next week with my regular schedule. (Events calendar on Thursdays, Dispatches with original stories and local news roundups on 2-3 other days.)
In the meantime, let’s get out there and 🎆 celebrate our first 250 years!
Enjoy this events calendar/news-esque hybrid. See you on the flip side. 🇺🇸
— Abby
In this issue:
🗓️ July 4th Events Calendar
🇺🇸 History corner
📰 In brief
👀 Celeb sighting
🏇 Opening weekend
Kendrick Carmouche chats with young fans at last year’s meet. He’ll be aboard pilot Phileas Fogg in Saturday’s Suburban Stakes during Opening Weekend of this stretched out season.
Today is the official start of Saratoga’s summer meet!
Remember: To accommodate the stretched-out-ness of it all — next year will return to the usual mid-July start — dark days this season run Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the month of July.
Reminder: Five A-list jockeys will be missing for part of Opening Weekend; Daily Racing Form reports which stars are out which days.
Not among the missing: Tyler Gaffalione is back in Saratoga after staying in Kentucky and Monmouth last summer. He hit today’s second race at 12 to 1. Welcome back.
Americana alert: Headed there for the 4th? Gates open at 11 a.m., with the first post at 12:35 p.m. Enjoy $1 “Dollar Dogs” at Carnegie Deli, free “Stars and Stripes”-themed Saratoga tumblers (thank you, Saratoga 250), and a performance selection of the musical 1776 by Home Made Theater. Watch out for Uncle Sam as he strolls the grounds — and the great Sean Kelleher will read the Declaration of Independence.
For daily expert picks and more all weekend long, see our friends at the Tracksider…
🗓️ HOLIDAY WEEKEND EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS
TONIGHT:
Book signing with Tom Durkin — Impressions | 6 p.m.
Legend Tom Durkin signs copies of his new memoir, A Life’s Calling. “There’s a lot of Saratoga in it,” he promised me earlier this year.
Goose with Disco Biscuits — SPAC | 6 p.m.
American rock out of nearby Connecticut.
Jeanne O'Connor: The Sweetest Sounds — Caffè Lena | 8 p.m.
Jeanne O’Connor has poured her “heart and soul” into her upcoming album, The Sweetest Sounds — her first in nearly two decades — and has chosen Caffè Lena for its sneak peek months ahead of its official release.
Saturday, July 4 🎆
Firecracker 4 Road Race — Broadway | 8:15 a.m. Kids Sparkler Run; 9 a.m. Firecracker
Now in its 20th year! [Road closures.]
Goose with moe — SPAC | 6 p.m.
American rock out of nearby Connecticut.
Nocturnne — Keuka Spring on Spring Street | 7 p.m.
The new tasting room’s free live music and wine series continues with Nocturnne.
Celebrate Saratoga block party — various spots around downtown | 7 p.m.
Soul Session with local icon Garland Nelson, Ellsworth Jones Place (in front of City Center).
Jukebox Rebellion on Caroline Street
Blue grass band The Millstone Rounders on Phila Street
Red, White & Brews — Putnam Place | 7 p.m.
Old-fashioned cookout on the patio.
Fireworks | 9 p.m.
From atop of the City Center Parking Garage. Grab your spot early for the best view.
Sunday, July 5
Down in the Valley: Exploring the Gut Sunday Stroll — NW corner of Putnam and Spring streets, at the historic Hathorn Spring | 10:30 a.m.
Join Alexandra Morgan and the Preservation Foundation for a guided walking tour behind Broadway (including Phila and Caroline Streets), once home a “vibrant community of working-class and Jewish families.”
📰 IN BRIEF
NYRA paddock analyst Maggie Wolfendale remembers her father, trainer Howard Wolfendale, who passed away yesterday, in Daily Racing Form.
News10 unveils Peerless Pool, after renovations.
The Gaming Commission requires harness track to install smoke and fire alarms, reports the Times Union.
TURNING POINT
We’re all in for tomorrow’s 250th, but the Battles of Saratoga’s 250th is actually next year.
“The Declaration is what our Founders set, aspirational goals,” says Town of Saratoga historian Sean Kelleher. “Nobody knew if they were gonna be successful or not.”
Until the Battles of Saratoga victory.
“Benjamin Franklin went to the King of France and showed him that for the first time in history, a British army was captured,” Kelleher says. “It changed the American Revolution into a worldwide fight and gave us our independence.”
Old-fashioned: Historian/reenactor (in a pic from his Substack) Sean Kelleher will read the Declaration of Independence twice tomorrow. He tells the Dispatch that for Saratoga, the 250th celebrations will continue in October of this year and next.
👀 Celeb spotting at BuonaSera
On the lawn: Jack Johnson
By Flagg Taylor
Surf’s up: A sea of young music fans packed the SPAC lawn for Jack Johnson, the folk-rock superstar who treated the crowd to footage of his 2026 SURFILMUSIC documentary.
The crowd at surf rocker Jack Johnson’s recent SPAC concert were among the first to see footage from SURFILMUSIC, Johnson's 2026 documentary chronicling his evolution from professional surfer and filmmaker into a world-renowned musician. One of the coolest moments came when Johnson brought out the opening act, Hermanos Gutiérrez, and the two bands joined for a jam session — familiar Johnson songs mixed in — while a giant projector played clips from the film. Those few minutes of improvisation and loose guitar play made the concert feel genuine and special.
Another standout came when Johnson introduced Mark Williams, a trombone player he'd met busking in New York City, and brought him up to jam. Mark played alongside the band for a stretch, even joining in on Johnson's hits "Upside Down" and "Better Together."
Johnson closed with an intimate, hushed solo set he described as "playing around the campfire with his friends." He also took a moment to air his deep disappointment with Saratoga spring water — which, he said, tasted like a fart. Overall, Jack Johnson delivered a heartfelt, beautiful performance. And as an avid Curious George fan, I found it especially heartwarming to hear one of the show's theme songs performed live by the man who created it.
📌 ICYMI…